Anna's Story
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It sounded like a great deal of money to her and she really enjoyed taking care of the children. Sometimes, she would help the doctor in the office by answering the phones and cleaning. She liked working in the office. Later, he put a phone in her room so she would be available to answer night calls. He depended on her more and more and told her often how pleased he was with her work. He also told his wife how much he liked Anna and her efficiency. As time went on, the doctor had her help in the office more often than she did in the house. This upset the wife because she did not want them together so much of the time. She told her husband and asked him to let Anna go. He asked her to be reasonable, reassured her that there was nothing between him and Anna, but that she was too valuable an employee to fire. The wife was determined and persistent, so, to avoid problems in the household, he told Anna the reason she had to leave. Anna was shocked to hear such a thing and cried bitterly. She loved her job and would miss the children. Why was this happening to her? She done nothing to provoke it.
There was no time to linger over her sad fate since she needed to find another job immediately. It wasn't long before she was hired to do outside farm work in Germany. It was hard work in the fields. She wasn't used to such labor, and, in just a few weeks, she became very tired, run down, and terribly depressed. One evening, after a strenuous day, she felt so dreadful, she went to bed early without eating her supper. The next morning, she awakened and felt feverish. As the day progressed, she became worse. The doctor came, admitted her to the hospital, and diagnosed her illness as typhus. She lay in bed for many weeks fighting the dread disease. Communicating with the hospital staff was almost impossible since she didn't understand the German language. She was afraid she might die without ever seeing her mother again. She became terribly homesick, and her longing for home seemed to be worse than the disease she was suffering from. Slowly the fever subsided. Every day, she became stronger. After a few more weeks, she was released to go home. She was still wobbly and weak, but the joy of leaving this place gave her courage and strength.
The money she had saved by working so hard, paid her bills, and she was relieved to be able to be rid of those obligations. With the hospital and doctor bills paid, she felt free and independent. It was good to be well again. She'd be working again soon, but, right now, the most important thing was to go home and be with her mother.
Anna's father heard that she was home again and sent word that he would like to see her about an important matter. She wondered why, all of a sudden, her father was interested in her. Curiosity allayed her mistrust, so she went into town as soon as she could. Her father greeted her warmly, told her how pretty she looked, and how happy he was that she was well again. "He's unusually nice," she thought. "He must be up to something". Then he told her that she was at the age when she should be thinking about a suitable man for marriage. He had such a man in mind, he said, and would like her to meet him. The man her father had chosen for her was a bit older than she was, but he had money.